Yes, Thursday’s 17-12 loss to unranked Washington was ugly — Lane Kiffin ugly. The 17th-ranked Trojans are better than their 3-2 record, definitely better than their 1-2 mark in the Pac-12. They played poorly against the Huskies, against whom they were 17.5-point favorites.

But to jettison a coach so early, a coach who was extremely successful in his last job, is beyond silly. It’s a hot take they wouldn’t even go with on First Take. This has nothing to do with Sarkisian’s drunken appearance at preseason pep rally, which he attributed to a combination of alcohol and medication.

Eagles coach Chip KellyAP

Kelly would be a natural fit, but he has an NFL job, and has shown no indications he wants to return to college.

Consider this: Sarkisian turned Washington from a laughingstock — the Huskies went 0-12 the year before his arrival — into a quality Pac-12 program that finished over .500 four of his five seasons and reached four bowl games.

Sarkisian inherited a mess from Kiffin, but the transformation is well underway. USC’s 2016 recruiting class currently is ranked No. 5 in the country, according to Rivals.com. Their 2015 class was No. 1 and the 2014 haul was No. 10. The program is flush with talent.